After more than a decade of captivating audiences with his romantic dramas, Daniel Padilla is diving headfirst into the world of action with the top-rated series Incognito.

Despite the demanding nature of his role as the passionate Andres Malvar for the past four months, Padilla remains grounded, stating he doesn’t consider himself an action star just yet.

“This genre is new to me, and I’m enjoying it. I don’t label myself as an action star, not at all. It’s just another role,” he shared during the Incognito mid-season press conference last 7 April in Quezon City. He elaborated on the personal growth the genre has offered him: “I’ve learned so much about myself through this. It tests my limits. Sometimes I doubt if I can push further, but when I do, I realize I’m capable of more. That’s where the real discovery lies, getting to know myself better. I enjoy doing action; it’s very physical.”

The Incognito star also recounted the challenging experience of filming in the frigid Yamagata prefecture in Japan, where temperatures dipped below zero. “What we poured into this was blood and sweat. We’re confident you’ll love our scenes there because we went all out in Japan. Thank you for your support. The slips and falls were part of it, unavoidable with the icy terrain. We even discovered shoe grips on our last day there,” he chuckled. “But it was okay. As long as the action kept rolling, even if you slipped, you kept going. That’s how it is in real life. It just adds to the authenticity of the action.”

Having filmed in diverse locations such as Palawan, Benguet, Italy and Japan, Padilla acknowledged the extreme weather conditions but affirmed the experience was worthwhile. “It was all worth it, incredibly so. Japan was freezing, while Itogon was scorching hot. No in-between! Both were incredibly beautiful. I’m still so proud of this show!” he exclaimed.

Working on Incognito has also forged a strong bond between Padilla and his co-stars, including Richard Gutierrez and Anthony Jennings. This camaraderie has made him open to future action projects with them. “Our bond is something else. Like Chard said, we’re a unit. It’s true. Wherever we go, as long as we’re together, we’re good. And we genuinely help each other, both on and off-set. Because going to set and coming home is tiring. That’s us. So, we probably draw strength from each other, especially during difficult scenes. We support each other. Even if we do a season two, let’s finish season one first,” he laughed.

Incognito airs weeknights at 8:45 p.m. on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, TV5, TFC, and Kapamilya Online Live (KOL) on ABS-CBN Entertainment’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. Catch it in advance on Netflix and iWantTFC.